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July 03, 2009 | |
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Bill Update

New Media - Wyatt Durrette: An Amazingly Puzzling Question
It is an amazingly puzzling question why House of Delegates Republicans continue to miss the changes taking place in the body politic when almost everyone else can see them! More

Here’s the picture. Two “good government” bills promoted by the Governor and the Democratic minority are assigned to a subcommittee composed of four Republicans and two Democrats: 1) Expanded absentee voting; and 2) A Bipartisan redistricting plan.

GA Bills
Delegate Shannon Valentine presented her bill HB1685 in the House P&E Elections Subcommittee on January 19.  While the committee voted to pass the bill by along party lines, Delegate Valentine presented a clear and compelling case for why bipartisan reform is so needed.

 

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Virginia Needs Redistricting Reform

It's about ethics.
State legislators gerrymander their own districts, ensuring they stay in office. They choose the hand they're dealt. It's politicians choosing their voters, not the other way around.

It’s about competition.
Without competition, there is no innovation. Virginia needs competitive elections to remain at the forefront of the nation. Competitive races also have 51% higher voter turnout.

It’s about fairness.
Bipartisan Redistricting Reform will protect the voters from unfair partisan gerrymandering, ensuring that every Virginia's voice is equal in Richmond.

Virginia needs a bipartisan solution.
District lines split up communities because they're drawn by partisan politicians. But many states have a bipartisan commission that does this instead. That means stronger communities voting with one voice.

There's strong momentum. In 2008, Senate Bill 38, supported by prominent leaders of both parties, gained unanimous support in committee and 33 votes out of 40 on the Senate floor. It was narrowly defeated in House subcommittee by 1 vote.

Building support in your town. A diverse group of organizations is working to give Virginia voters a stronger voice. In towns and neighborhoods, they're working to build a grassroots voice for uniting Virginia's communities and ending gridlock in Richmond.

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New Redistricting Poll Released

 


Why is redistricting done every 10 years?

The US Constitution (Article 1, Section 2) requires that the government count the population of the country in a census held each decade. The last census was in 2000. The next will be in 2010. The Constitution says that once the census is complete, the House of Representatives must be reapportioned in line with each state's population. States that grow significantly, for instance, may gain a representative in the House. The US Constitution also requires that each Representative actually represent an equal number of citizens. Since some districts' population will have grown more than other districts, the geographic area each district covers has to be updated so that each district is equal in population.

It works the same way for state Senate and House of Delegates districts. The Virginia Constitution mandates a redistricting each decade in line with the census.

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